Needless to say, this class has definitely been a mind opener to me! I have changed my outlook quite a bit no reading as well as on our society as American citizens.
I used to think that reading was so boring, not interesting, a drag, etc. The literature that we have discussed and read through in this class has definitely made me change my mind. I do believe that when I am searching for a good book to read I will at least read into it a little more than just by reading the back cover or looking at the title. Reading has never been a passion of mine, but I have noticed that it is becoming more lively to me. I also think that by reading and comprehending all these different types of literature has helped me concentrate and comprehend more in my other classes.
By reading and viewing things such as Culture Jam, "America, It's Gotta Be the Cheese", Fahrenheit 451 and the Second Skin documentaries, I have learned a lot about different aspects of our society. I knew that there were hardcore gamers out there but I had no idea of how severe some of there cases were. I also grew angry by some of the things I was learning of our society. As we discussed in my group, a lot of us as American citizens take a lot for granted. We have so many freedoms and privileges that a lot of other people in other countries do not have and will never have.
Our culture definitely shows the themes of "plentitude" and consumerism. These two themes were probably my favorite to discuss because it shows how "greedy" our society is. In a way we are constantly handed things left and right and have everything we want right in front of us. Yet this is not enough. We always want more and more and more and more. We are consumed daily by the advertisements we see on television, billboards, in magazine, etc. This just adds to plentitude in that it makes us want all these other things.
This class has definitely inspired to me to change some aspects of my lifestyle. Instead of going out and buying the newest shoes or clothing, I will try harder to resist myself and realize that I already have enough of these things. I think that I will even start donating some of the clothes I never wear for people who really need them. I've also been inspired to think about books differently. Reading has thus far helped me with my comprehensive skills as well as helped me relax. I think that I will find myself looking into more books in the future and possibly making reading a hobby.
Overall, I think this class helped me learn so much about myself as well as the society I live in. If I had the choice, I would definitely do it all over again!
"In a way we are constantly handed things left and right and have everything we want right in front of us. Yet this is not enough. We always want more and more and more and more."
ReplyDeleteThis idea of plentitude was definitely one of my favorite discussions too. I like our you bring up the idea of stuff being handed to us though. Even if it's not necessarily "handed to us", it's constantly there at our finger tips to have if we want it. Maybe if it wasn't constantly there for us to have this would help with the other issue you brought up, consumerism. Point is, this idea of plentitude is an interesting one that I have spent time thinking past just the classroom discussions.
I liked that this class has opened your eyes to the fact that we are living a much better life than most. We have clothes, food,and shelter at all times. Then, on top of all of that, we have cars, jewelery, designer bags, houseboats, and all the extra things we don't necessarily need. I feel we should all take a good look at consumerism and hope we can shift power from corporations to us, the actual people buying it all.
ReplyDelete"By reading and viewing things such as Culture Jam, "America, It's Gotta Be the Cheese", Fahrenheit 451 and the Second Skin documentaries, I have learned a lot about different aspects of our society."
ReplyDeleteI too found that after reading these books I was either introduced to a new view point or reminded about the flaws of our generation. I really like the fact that this lit class allowed us to read books that encouraged us to really think about things and want to change where as some class simply read fiction novels. Pretty interesting :)
The books that we had to read in this class were definitely.. different.. but I totally agree with you that even if someone hates reading, they will like this class. The books complimented the class and taught us about ourselves and our society and weren't just fiction novels for fun.
ReplyDeletep.s. i like your background it's very cute :)